The Agricultural Revolution 02

This KS3 History quiz takes a second look at the Agricultural Revolution. Not all historians agree about the Agricultural Revolution. One thing is certain though, between 1700 and 1850, agricultural production just about doubled. At the time, the population of England was rapidly increasing. If farmers had not been able to grow more crops and rear more animals, large numbers of people would have starved and the Industrial Revolution would have been slowed down.

A number of people are credited with being important in the development of agriculture in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Charles Townshend was a politician and a farmer. He strongly promoted the Norfolk system of crop rotation which earned him the nickname of "Turnip". A farmer called Robert Bakewell carried out a programme of selective breeding of sheep, cattle and horses. As a result of his work, new breeds of sheep that gave better wool were developed as well as bigger horses and cattle specifically grown to provide beef. Thomas Coke introduced better grasses for animal grazing and also publicised his work and the work of others through his agricultural shows.